First openly gay presidential Canidate!!!!!

[daleduke17]

For my part, I believe the numbers of people who voted for Obama because he is Black are much lower than people believe. If race were the major decision-maker in getting him elected, he could have run as a Republican.

Then why was there such a big deal out of him being black? Why did the media have to keep mentioning his color? Every article I listened to on the news was "The first black President, Barak Obama" (or some form of that sentence). If he was that great of a candidate and race wasn't a campaign point, have the media stop sticking it out there.

[KnitShoni]

You honestly believe no one voted for Obama because he's black?

For my part, I believe the numbers of people who voted for Obama because he is Black are much lower than people believe. If race were the major decision-maker in getting him elected, he could have run as a Republican.

[Gravekeeper]

Because the Senators, and even Representatives, of the US are not as bound to their parties as those in, say, Canada or Great Britain-McConnell.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Political parties are like sports teams in the US and its pretty obvious when the Talking Points(tm) for the day get distributed down the rank and file. Especially with Republicans. Plus your party can sink your arse among the Faithful(tm) whenever they want as it takes money and media clout to get very far in American politics. Both of which your party can pull out from under you or sink you with.

Its very hard to run as an independent in the US outside of one of the two major parties. It's also very hard to avoid towing the party line when called upon.

That's an easy one. There is more to who I am than my sexuality.

Yeaaah, about that. People who are actually bothered by other people's sexuality don't tend to give a shit about the rest of who you are. >.>

[Andara Bledin]

I do the same. I just wish it was easier to find a compiled voting record for a candidate, particularly in local elections. I hate having to rely on campaign advertising.

Same here.

Things are easy when it's someone you know you don't want in the position running. But when you have someone you kind of don't like and another person who's mostly a mystery, it's voting roulette.

^-.-^

[smileyeagle1021]

That's an easy one. There is more to who I am than my sexuality.

Not according to the Republican party...
There is still a large segment of the republican party who wants homosexuality defined as a personality disorder that needs to be treated.

eta- this does not mean that there aren't republicans that won't see you as a whole person and not judge you solely on your orientation, but those individuals do not change the party platform or the majority view of party members.

[linguist]

And changing my ways and the way I vote just because I'm not rich or a man doesn't make much sense, either.

Sorry, that argument doesn't work.

But why do you vote the way you vote? Have you ever really examined that? I mean no disrespect by this; I'm genuinely curious. The way you phrased this smacks of stubbornness and Emerson's "foolish consistency"--that is, continuing to do things because you've always done so without really examining why.

I've fallen victim to stubbornness and foolish consistency myself. I grew up in a family of die-hard Republicans. In every election I voted in up to my early twenties I always voted Republican and defended the actions of the party until I was blue in the face. But then I took the time to closely and painfully examine my beliefs and came to realize that my personal beliefs in no way meshed with the policies of the Republican party. I'd simply been parrotting what I'd been taught by my family, and I voted the way I did simply because they did, and they taught me to follow without question. I switched party affiliation when I realized that the Democratic party more closely meshed with my personal beliefs. That's not to say that I won't or haven't voted for a Republican since then, but the fact that the Republican platform clashes with almost every one of my beliefs will lead me to scrutinize a Republican candidate much more closely before I cast my vote.

That's an easy one. There is more to who I am than my sexuality.

Well, you know this, and I know this, but the Republican Party (and I am speaking of the Party here--their leadership, policies, and platform--not individual Republicans) either doesn't know or doesn't care, and will use your sexuality (or level of wealth, gender, etc.) as a weapon against you, to keep you a marginalized second-class citizen. Count me in among those who can't fathom why someone from one of these marginalized groups would support a party with a stated policy of keeping them down.

[Ghel]

I vote for platforms, myself. I don't give a damn about the person; I want to know what their platform and voting record is.

I do the same. I just wish it was easier to find a compiled voting record for a candidate, particularly in local elections. I hate having to rely on campaign advertising.

[FArchivist]

This is like having a conversation about gravity and someone stepping in and saying, "I need a citation for this that there is a thing called gravity."

Yes, I'm regularly in conversations like that. Especially if on the internet.

A lot of people at my college voted for Obama because they wanted to be part of voting in the first black president. They couldn't tell you anything about how either candidate's opinions on various issues, but that's it.

Now, here's where it gets fun.
The correct response to that is "So you say." What you are presenting is anecdotal information, which can't be corroborated or verified in accordance with the scientific method. How many is a lot? 100? 1,000? 10,000? How do we know what their actual reasons for voting were, since a throw-away statement cannot be trusted? What is the bias in your area? Was the sample random enough? So on and so forth...

Then there were people, who came right out in public and said they weren't voting for some black guy to run our country. Videos of racist people clearly stating they wouldn't vote for Obama because he is black were all over the internet during the campaign period. This meant they were voting for McCain because he was white and not black. There were plenty of open groups during the time who admitted they were voting for their candidate because of the color of their skin.

So they say and so such videos were seen. But were they true? Were they falsely created information? What's the bias? Wherein are the actual facts of the matter?

That's why I do not trust anything that cannot be independently verified by something in any conversation on the internet, unless the subject is purely one of opinion.

Especially if you want a double-blind study. How do you even HAVE a double-blind opinion poll?.

You don't do an opinion poll. You draw a random sample of people, preferably 10,000, and have them do anonymous voting surveys with questions couched in as neutral language as possible. Then you can gauge accuracy at 95% +/- 5%. Standard opinion polls should never be trusted because they don't involve any sort of rigor or true random sampling.

I vote for people, not parties.

I vote for platforms, myself. I don't give a damn about the person; I want to know what their platform and voting record is.

[Hyena Dandy]

I don't support any group. I am a Republican, because most of the politicians I support are Republicans. But I do not believe in the 'purity' of the Republican party. I support individual people. Most are Republicans.

Because the Senators, and even Representatives, of the US are not as bound to their parties as those in, say, Canada or Great Britain, I can choose a Republican like Scott Brown, and not think that in doing so I am supporting Michelle Bachman or even Mitch McConnell.

I vote for people, not parties.

Though I am displeased with the Republican party as it stands, as they keep putting forward candidates I do not support. If this continues, I will leave the party. I will likely continue supporting the candidates I approve of, whether I'm a Republican, Democrat, or even Libertarian (my likely next party if I leave this one). My views will stay the same, and I will keep voting the way I do. I have never voted a straight ticket, except when Scott Brown was elected because he was the only person running for office at the time. I don't think I'll start anytime soon.

[Imprl59]

Count me among those who doesn't understand why anyone would choose to support a group that actively works to keep them marginalized.

^-.-^

That's an easy one. There is more to who I am than my sexuality.

[blas87]

And changing my ways and the way I vote just because I'm not rich or a man doesn't make much sense, either.

Sorry, that argument doesn't work.

[Andara Bledin]

Count me among those who doesn't understand why anyone would choose to support a group that actively works to keep them marginalized.

^-.-^

[Hyena Dandy]

I concede that Dale didn't say that, but did at the very least IMPLY it.

We saw (or are seeing) how well voting for someone for some superficial reason is going right now.

[Greenday]

Dale said he was elected because he was black, I believe that's what was being responded to.

Dale said a lot of people came out and said they voted for Obama because he is black.

[Hyena Dandy]

No one said he was elected because he is black.

Dale said he was elected because he was black, I believe that's what was being responded to.